Organizing Holiday Supplies

Wow, that was blur! I’m still in a little state of disbelief that Christmas is already over. I like to leave some of my holiday decor up through New Year’s, but I thought I would get a jump on organizing this year (since I swear I will start organizing holiday supplies every year, and it never happens!).

Getting your holiday items organized will not only help you clean up the mess, but it will help you find everything much easier for the next holiday season! Instead of running out to replace items or wasting hours looking for them, you’ll know exactly where everything is. 🙂

Find some clear plastic bins. To start, gather some clear plastic bins that are ALWAYS on sale this time of year. In addition to large, clear plastic bins, I have several ornament caddies to make sure that our fragile ornaments are stored safely. You can also find plastic wreath storage boxes in you have artificial wreaths.

Re-string lights and replace any broken bulbs. By replacing burnt out bulbs, you’ll save yourself the hassle of doing it next year (and you can get them at great sale prices after the holidays!). I like to save the plastic they come with to wind them up, but if you’ve thrown it out already, you can use also use a coat hanger!

Carefully stow all ornaments and decorations in your clear plastic bins. If you have glass ornaments, wrap them in left over Christmas tissue paper.

Go through gift bags, bows and other wrapping supplies. Many can be put away and used next year. It’s much more environmentally friendly, and it will save you some money too! I have a hanging gift wrap organizer that I keep in one of our hall closets.

Do a sweep of each room to pick up random decorations. You don’t want to go down to the basement or up to the attic multiple times, so make sure you have all the decorations down before you package everything up for storage. I have finished stowing my decorations, and then realized I had left the battery operated candles on each window sill! 🙂

What are your tips and tricks for taking down decorations and storing them?